Diocese seeking associate superintendent to work with high schools

The Catholic Free press
In an effort to more closely connect the operation of the three central Catholic high schools, the diocese has created the new position of associate superintendent of secondary schools.
The Catholic Schools Office has posted the job on several online sites. The associate superintendent of secondary schools will work directly with St. Bernard in Fitchburg, and Holy Name and St. Peter-Marian in Worcester, eliminating the need for a separate headmaster or president at those schools.
“The goal of the new position is to foster a more system-wide approach to diocesan Catholic secondary education in order to optimize performance across the three secondary schools, while simultaneously improving operational efficiency,” according to a press release from Raymond L. Delisle, diocesan spokesman and chancellor.
While this new position oversees operations at all three schools, the schools are not being merged, Mr. Delisle noted. The three high schools will continue to operate with individual principals and staff, while maintaining their character which reflects the charisms of their founding religious communities, including the Sisters of St. Anne, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Sisters of Mercy and the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“These are exciting times for Catholic education and this new position embodies where we are going as a diocese,” said David Perda, superintendent of Catholic schools. “The old model entailed each school operating more as an independent silo, while they all shared in their Catholic identity and strong academic performance. We cannot grow today and in the future if we continue to be seen as competing with one another beyond the athletic field. We must find ways to operate more as a system. This position is a significant first step in accomplishing that goal.”
“Conceptually, we have a similar situation in parishes which share a pastor,” Bishop McManus observed. “The parishes maintain their unique canonical status while the parishes benefit from not only sharing the pastor, but also from a proven approach to leadership and prudent operations.”
The new associate superintendent position will include: responsibility for developing systems for regularly evaluating programs and/or projects for the purpose of assessing effectiveness; fidelity of implementation and operational efficiency; developing systems for effectively monitoring budget allocations, expenditures and related financial activities in collaboration with the diocesan associate superintendent of business; and establishing and maintaining productive partnerships with a variety of external organizations engaged in the support of Catholic education, particularly at the secondary level.
The position has been posted on various education job sites including School Spring, TopSchoolJobs, the National Catholic Education Association, and the Alliance for Catholic Education and is generating substantial interest from both internal and external candidates, according to Superintendent Perda.
The goal, he said, is to implement the new role at the conclusion of this current school year.
There are currently 1,129 students being served by the three diocesan Central Catholic high schools.